Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
An Ebonyi State High Court sitting in Abakaliki has sentenced a 39-year-old man, Chituru Mbam, to six months’ imprisonment without the option of a fine for forcefully evicting his wife from their matrimonial home and subsequently destroying the property.
The court, presided over by Justice Ruth Okeh, also ordered Mbam to pay his wife, Mbam Ozoemena, ₦500,000 in damages and provide her with suitable accommodation.
The couple, who married in 2009 and have five children, had reportedly experienced marital disagreements for several years before the incident.
Court proceedings revealed that on January 6, 2026, Mbam allegedly arrived at the family residence in the company of two unidentified men and forcefully evicted his wife after moving into a newly completed building.
He subsequently had her arrested and detained at the Police Headquarters in Abakaliki.
While Ozoemena was in custody, her husband allegedly returned to the property and removed the roof, doors, windows and other fittings, leaving the building uninhabitable.
The case attracted the intervention of the Rose Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children. The organisation’s Executive Secretary, Professor Mike Ajanwachukwu, reportedly petitioned the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, leading to Mbam’s arrest and prosecution.
Delivering judgment on Monday, October 12, 2026, Justice Okeh found Mbam guilty of the offence and imposed the custodial sentence, alongside the compensation and accommodation orders.
Counsel to the complainant, Mrs Ijeoma Mike-Ajanwachukwu, welcomed the judgment, stressing that a spouse cannot lawfully force the other out of their matrimonial home.
She said the conduct violated Section 6(1) of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law of Ebonyi State, 2018, which prohibits the forceful eviction of a spouse.
The case highlights the legal consequences of forcibly evicting a spouse and the protections available under laws addressing domestic violence.
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